Machines for crimping terminals to the ends of conductors of flexible flat cables are typically of the type that includes a crimping die and anvil set and a movable table, to which the flexible cable is attached, which indexes the cable between the die and anvil for crimping. Such a machine is shown in FIG. 1 and identified as 10. From time to time, during operation of the machine 10, the crimp height of the crimped terminal approaches an out of tolerance condition and must be adjusted. The drive mechanism includes a stud which is threaded into a link of the mechanism to provide this adjustment. A lock nut is used to secure the stud and link in a desired position. A difficulty with this arrangement is that the effect of each attempted adjustment is not predictable to within desirable limits because the mechanism is too course. That is, given that we wish to change the crimp height by 0.001 inch, for example, it is difficult to loosen the lock nut, turn the adjusting screw the precise amount needed, and tighten the lock nut without affecting the position of the adjusting screw and achieve the desired change in crimp height.
What is needed is a fine adjusting mechanism for adjusting crimp height that is accurate, repeatable, and easy to set to a desire value.